


(Not) So Pleasant Day

by CommanderTeatime



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Crush, Claustrophobia, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Requited Unrequited Love, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29649915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderTeatime/pseuds/CommanderTeatime
Summary: Every morning Riyo Chuchi takes the lift up to the floor her office is on, but from the other side of the Senate building so she can talk to Commander Fox. It's just her luck that the lift breaks, trapping them both inside.Riyo doesn't know how to behave with her crush on Commander Fox who is trying his best to play off his claustrophobia.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala & Riyo Chuchi, Riyo Chuchi & CC-1010 | Fox, Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox
Comments: 10
Kudos: 97





	(Not) So Pleasant Day

**Author's Note:**

> This was loosely inspired by some really cute art I saw on Tumblr ( https://carrinth.tumblr.com/post/643732290737930241/good-morning-commander-fox-senator-chuchi )
> 
> I couldn't help but think this rarepair needed some extra love.  
> P.S. definitely didn't log back in at 3am to change all references of paper to something more in canon ahaha

It’s not deliberate on her part, or at least she likes to tell herself that. 

She knows that she isn’t being very refined, that senators should be above clones, somehow, but she can’t help it. Riyo still takes a deep breath before she parts ways with Bail and Padme as she always does. She gives them a small wave goodbye and starts towards the lines that have formed in front of the two lifts. 

Her office is on the other side of the Senate complex with the other senators representing Outer Rim Territories. Although it would make more sense for her to walk around the circular building to the other lift, she can’t bring herself to do so. She’ll need the walk after taking the lift up with Commander Fox as she does every morning, and she’ll use her stroll to tell herself to stop being so pathetic. 

Riyo carefully fixes her hair and pulls at her dress, smoothing any wrinkles that she and her assistant might have missed before she joins the line. The senators in front of her talk amongst each other, sharing grievances, schedules, and endless to-do lists. They’ll all reconvene in a few hours for session and committee assignments, but they talk as though this is their only chance to see each other. 

She doesn’t have anyone to talk to in line, no one to share her complaints with. Since the death of the Chairman, her schedule has only become more burdensome because she’s taken on some of his duties. The Pantoran Assembly has been trying to find a suitable replacement, but so many of the military men of Pantora stand by the Chairman’s actions on Orto Plutonia. 

It’s been helpful, though, to have Padme by her side through most of it. Riyo has learned a lot about the proper military protocol between senators and Republic officials. She’s been in regular contact with the Republic fleet outside of Pantora and it’s helped some. 

The line moves forward and Riyo takes a step forward as well. One Coruscant Guard member stands in front of the lift panels, helping the elderly senators into the lifts where two other Guard members stand waiting. 

He gives her a small nod, a greeting among clones, and she smiles back. She likes to think that it’s because their eyes have met, but she can’t be sure because of how dark his visor is. Part of her wonders if she can even be sure of the man’s name-- Thire, or Fire, maybe. 

It’s the man in the lift she knows better. 

The doors open and Riyo steps in. Being the only senator from the Outer Rim, she goes in by herself, holding her datapads close to her chest. 

“Pleasant day we’re having, isn’t it, Commander Fox?” 

He straightens a little, as though the morning has caught him in a daze. Riyo hopes that it’s a relaxing daze, rather than one of anxiety or stress. She turns to watch the doors close. 

“Yes, Senator,” he says. 

Riyo turns her head a little to look at him, the way he looks straight ahead at the doors, stiff like a statue. She wants him to relax, for the tension in his shoulders to slip away with her touch, to be able to lift his helmet and see his face, the dark eyes behind the visor. Blushing furiously, she turns away and hopes that he can’t see it. 

Senators had talked before about clones having limited vision because of their visors. A few of them had complained about the security forces not being able to defend them adequately. 

“Commander, I want to thank you for continuing to--” 

Her heart leaps up into her throat and seizes her voice when the lift rattles. Instantly, she steps closer to Commander Fox, taking his hand without thought. The lights flicker and the lift plummets. 

She screams, holding onto the man as though he has some way of saving her. She’s so terrified all she can do is pray that they both make it out of this alive, that they’ll survive this wreck. She presses her face against the breastplate of his plastoid armor and thinks maybe she can hear his heartbeat. 

It jolts to a stop as quickly as it had fallen, sending both of them to the floor.

Riyo doesn’t move, but she knows that they couldn’t have fallen too far. She’s still holding onto him for dear life, hoping to catch her breath, hoping that her heart returns to her chest. His arms are around her, and that only makes it soar. 

She can feel the heat of his hand on her waist. He managed to hold her in a way to keep her head from hitting the floor, and she’s grateful, taking in the chance to breathe him in. All clones smell the same, though, a soft clean scent of military-issued soap and the synthetic smell of plastoid armor. 

They part from one another. 

Commander Fox stands first, pulling the emergency lever that locks the elevator into place before it can fall any further. He presses the alarm, which doesn’t go off; it must be a total power outage. 

“Are you alright, Senator Chuchi?” He asks, offering her a hand up. 

She takes it, steadying herself and brushing herself off. “Yes, Commander,” though she nearly calls him ‘Fox’, and her stomach twists at the thought of it.

He had called her Senator Chuchi, knowing her name and recognizing her apart from the hundreds of other senators. 

“Are you okay, Commander Fox?” she asks, hoping that he’s caught onto her usage of his name. 

He straightens again, just as he had when she had stepped onto the lift. “I’m fine, Senator.” He moves his hands from behind his back and activates his comlink. “Thire, you there?” he asks, but there’s no immediate response. It chirps again when he presses it, “Thire? Senate lift three-five-two is stuck.” 

Riyo looks away from him to the traffic outside the transparisteel panes behind them. It’s impossible to tell whether the power outage just affected their lift or the entire sector. Travel from one place to the next continues as though nothing has happened. 

A Senate transport catches her eye as it leaves the hangar, heading through the express lanes towards the Senate apartments. She focuses on that, on the idea of being able to go home at the end of her long day and think about him there, rather than here, where she’s clumsy and unsophisticated in his presence. In her daydreams, she can be suave, she can woo him, send him flowers as thanks for protecting her from protesters, and for humoring her with morning conversation. 

“I’m sorry, Senator Chuchi, it seems they’ve gone on break early.” 

She turns away from the traffic and hopes that her face doesn’t show her exhilaration. “It’s alright, Commander,” she smiles, feigning calmness. “I’m sure someone will notice our absence and come to our rescue.” 

He nods-- small, polite, and wordless. 

Riyo turns back to the traffic, taking a deep breath as she looks for the Senate transport. It’s lost somewhere in the sea of ships, along with her thoughts of only thinking about him at home. 

“You’re not claustrophobic, are you, Senator?” 

She thinks about lying. If she says she is, will he hold her? Try to calm her? Instead, she shakes her head, giving him a kind smile. “No, are you?” 

“No, not with this viewport,” he says with a small sigh. 

His attempt to hide his nervousness is cute, Riyo bites down on the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling much wider. She silently thanks herself for not lying, this give her the opportunity to calm him instead. 

“Kind of relaxing to see them all,” he says, looking out at the ships. 

“I agree,” she says, her smile widening anyway. “I always like to watch them and think about where they’re going, what they’re doing and thinking. It makes life here a little less lonely.” 

The Commander exhales again beside her. “That there,” he points at a ship leaving one of the military docks across the sector from them. It’s oddly shaped and painted with red and gold decals. “An interstellar tug,” he identifies. “Probably on its way to lead a frigate in from the outer atmosphere.” 

Although it hadn’t been what she meant, Riyo finds herself grateful for any bit of conversation. She likes how he indulges her in small talk like this, and she likes to think that it has an impact. 

“I don’t think I’d like that job,” she says as the ship maneuvers into the military lanes. “Always getting so close to leaving Coruscant, only to come back down.” 

Commander Fox hums softly in agreement, though she doesn’t know if he’s just humoring her.

“That shuttle,” she points to one made of chrome, slipping down towards them underneath currents of consumer traffic. “It’s probably senators running late, maybe a few aides coming in with breakfast orders.” 

He doesn’t say anything, but his head moves to watch the ship as it disappears into the hangars below. Riyo looks back out through the traffic, hoping to find something else of interest to think about. Instead, she finds herself looking at another transport shuttle, this one steering towards the wealthy apartments, reserved for senate families. 

“Do you ever think about just leaving it all behind? Getting on a transport and seeing where it takes you?” She asks, glancing at him. 

He’s caught off guard by her question, enough that he turns to look at her through his visor. His gaze doesn’t linger long, he looks back out to the traffic, to the same shuttle she had found. 

The silence lingers enough that Riyo wonders if she’s overstepped if he’s decided that she’s no longer worth the conversation. She takes a deep breath and pulls at her sleeves nervously. 

“I try not to,” he says finally. He looks at her again, _really_ looks at her. Riyo feels almost paralyzed by his gaze. “Desertion,” he says and pauses while he collects his thoughts, words that she hinges on. “I think it tempts all of us. I just have to remind myself this is my duty-- to protect the Senate, even if that means getting stuck in lifts every once in a while.” 

She smiles a little, facing the traffic, but looking at him from the corner of her eyes. “I hope one day that you’ll be able to leave Coruscant without it being considered desertion, that you and other clones will be able to experience the galaxy the way it’s meant to be.” 

The silence that settles between them is different now. It’s no longer one that leaves her anxious about boundaries, but one that makes her curious. She wants to know what he’s thinking, where he dreams of visiting if he does at all. 

His comlink chirps once, then twice before he answers the call. 

“This is Fox, we’re stuck in lift three-five-two.” 

A sigh sounds on the other end. “I’ll get the jaws,” the voice says. “Do you know what floor you’re on?” 

Riyo turns around frantically looking for any sign of where they are, but all she sees is the traffic behind them. She turns back to Fox who is looking at her for an answer. When she doesn’t provide one, his shoulders rise and fall in a heavy breath. 

“No, the alarm is broken as well.” 

“Of course it is.” The clone on the other end says. “I’ll find you,” he says, and the call ends with a short chirp. 

Commander Fox relaxes an inch, he rests his hands behind his back. “Help will arrive shortly, Senator.” 

Riyo smiles, “I’m grateful, Commander. Thank you.” 

He gives her that small nod. 

She doesn’t know what to do with herself as they wait for help. Riyo thinks about turning back to look at the traffic, possibly bring them into some other lighter conversation. She wants to ask him so many questions, she wants to ask him his favorite color, what he does when he isn’t protecting the Senate, how he got his nickname. Instead, she finds herself looking over his armor, raising even more questions in her mind. 

There’s a single scuff against his shoulder where the red of his shoulder piece wears away into white. She wants to ask about it, she wants to ask about the scuff at the edge of his visor, where it’s obviously been repaired and repainted. The newer coat is just a touch brighter than the rest of the paint. 

Riyo tells herself that he hasn’t noticed her gawking because he can’t see her, she’s out of his frame of view. She knows that it’s silly to think such things, that if anyone has a lacking field of vision, it’s her. He has seen her face every day since she was a legislative aide, and she hasn’t seen him, not even once. 

Part of her mind nags at her-- _all clones look the same, they’re_ _clones--_ but she quickly silences it. She has seen a number of clones, all of them different, all of them individuals. Commander Rex, the clone that had helped her end the war with the Talz, had had the kindest eyes she had ever seen in a man, and the only blond clone she could think of. Others tended to blend in, nameless, similar faces, similar smiles, the same bronze skin, worn by war. 

The doors in front of them shutter and Riyo takes a step back, stumbling against Fox who brings a hand up to her waist. It’s so steady her, she knows, but her heart nearly beats out of her chest as she stays there, his hand a welcome touch. 

To her sadness, it moves back to his side. It rests beside hers when she remains where she is, his fingers so close to hers that she can feel the warmth of his hand through his gloves. 

The screeching of the doors is enough for her to flinch as they spread apart into a small gap. 

“You alright?” One of the Coruscant Guard members asks. 

“Yes, just get the door open.” Commander Fox says beside her, and she allows herself the indulgence of holding his hand. He doesn’t notice. She’s grateful to get away with it. 

The doors shake and then snap open, revealing that the lift has stopped partway in between floors. It’s a large step up onto the floor where the other Guard members wait for them. 

“You go first,” she says, taking her hand back and taking a small step back. 

He doesn’t argue with her, climbing up onto the floor and accepting the help of his comrades to pull him to his feet. He turns back to her and accepts the datapads from her, handing them to the man at his side, who straightens them. Then, he offers her a hand. 

Riyo accepts it and he pulls her up without much effort on her part. She shimmies through the gap and stands carefully with his hand still in hers. 

The others take a step back and Riyo takes a deep breath. 

One of the men that had come to their rescue gets to work removing the device they had used to pry the doors open. The other hands her the devices back before returning to the same task. Both of them are oddly quiet, not even talking to one another as they work. 

“Thank you, Commander, for your help today,” Riyo says, taking her hand back and brushing a few stray strands of pink hair behind her headpiece. 

He was quiet, his gaze on her. She smiles and knows there’s no way she can play things off, now. The warmth against her face is her blush coming back in full force. However, before Fox can say a single word, someone calls out her name and grabs the attention of both of them

“Riyo!” 

She turned to find Padme running down the set of stairs, her security team following behind. “I heard you were stuck in the lift.” Padme’s hand rests on her arm, looking her over like a worried mother. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She smiles brightly and turns to Fox, “Thank you, Commander, I’m sure she was a handful.” 

Riyo finds that it’s possible to blush even harder than before as she bites back the urge to step on Padme’s toes. 

“Not at all, Senator.” Commander Fox says, and something tells her, or rather she just deeply hopes that the man is smiling behind his visor. He gives them a small bow before walking over towards his companions.

“Breathe,” Padme whispers, her smile still blinding. 

Riyo inhales deeply and exhales just as deeply. She brings her hands up to her face to hide her blush, or maybe to fan it away or to linger on the warmth that’s still present against her hand.

“Should I pull the alarm to stop the lift next time?” Padme whispers, leading her up the stairs towards her office. 

“Padme!” Riyo says a little louder, glancing back to Commander Fox and his men, who are caught up in a conversation of their own. “You didn’t,” she says, turning back to her friend.

“No, no,” she laughs just as quietly, “I didn’t, I’m just offering if you want a next time.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please comment, this is my first time writing anything other than the Disaster Trio. 
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr-- stariose.tumblr.com


End file.
